Master Projects

Functional Analysis of Mammalian P4 ATPases (Patrick Petersen)

Membrane dynamics are largely controlled by lipid flippases, which play a pivotal role in cell homeostasis. Lipid flippases belonging to the recently discovered P4 subfamily of P-type ATPases (P4-ATPases) catalyze phospholipid transport from the exoplasmic to the cytosolic leaflet of cellular membranes. This process enables eukaryotic cells to create and maintain non-random lipid distributions between the two leaflets of membrane-bound compartments along the late secretory and endocytic pathways. The projects explores the physiological and cellular functions of mammalian P4 ATPases during cell differentiation.

Understanding the secretory pathway: Elucidating the regulation of membrane pumps involved in lipid transport and vesicle biogenesis (Merethe Mørch Svendsen/Frøsig)

The project aimed to determine whether plant P4-ATPases require interaction with kinases or phosphatases for their activity and to identify the proteins involved in this regulation. The project was supported by Novo Scholarship Program 2010 and a joint venture with Rosa L. López Marqués (Head of the flippase team).

Merethe Mørch Frøsig continued as PhD student in the flippase team in Section for Transport Biology.

Lipid Flippases: Linking lipid transport to vesicle formation (Maria Martina Ezcurida Koch)

In this project the efforts focused on elucidating the role of the Arabidopsis thalianas P4-ATPases ALA2 in lipid transport and vesicle formation. The project was a joint venture with Rosa L. López Marqués (Head of the flippase team).

Martina Koch continued as PhD student in Section for Glycobiology.